Arsenal: Olivier Giroud Still Entrenching Starting Role

Olivier Giroud scored his fifth goal in five consecutive starts. However, he has still not entrenched himself as the Arsenal starting striker.

It was a frustrating first half for Arsenal. After Bournemouth clearly exposed the Gunners’ midfield to the frailties of facing a high-pressing approach, Preston modelled their success on the same system, as did Swansea on Saturday.

Recently hired Paul Clement brought in Ki Sung-Yeung and Jack Cork to form a midfield trio alongside the ever-present Gylfi Sigurdsson. The energy that they provided, combined with the pace of Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge in wide areas, caused Arsene Wenger’s side real issues.

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They were unable to play with time in central midfield, Aaron Ramsey and Granit Xhaka were forced backwards with many of their passes and the ball was played into forward areas, a combination of poor service and poor touches meant that, for much of the time, the Swans were able to recover possession very quickly and effectively.

There were doubts beginning to creep in, primarily due to the recent struggles with games that have taken a very similar pattern to that of the first half at the Liberty Stadium. However, 37 minutes in, after a sweeping break involving Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Giroud eventually poked past Lukasz Fabianksi to put his side in the lead. It was his fifth goal in his past five starts, continuing the remarkable streak of having scored a goal in ever single start this season.

His recent success has brought the question of who should lead the Arsenal line to the forefront. With Giroud given an extended break after his international exertions with the French national side at the summer’s European Championships, Wenger had turned to Alexis Sanchez, altering his position from a natural wide player into a mobile, dynamic centre-forward released from the shackles of defensive duties and given the freedom to roam wherever he sees fit.

But Giroud’s goalscoring record does hold some significance. It seems harsh to drop someone brimming with the confidence that the Frenchman currently boasts, holding the best minute to goal ratio in the Premier League. And yet, while he poked home the opener on Saturday, otherwise, Giroud was poor.

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His touch let him down repeatedly, something that he models his game upon, he was not the physical focal point that Arsenal demand of him and, unlike Sanchez, he is not the type of player who is able to create his own chances from limited service. Giroud is still entrenching a starting role for himself in this team but it feels as if his stint in the lineup is merely a temporary matter.

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